Switch 2 Closes Its First U.S. Year at 5.9 Million Units, the Second Fastest-Selling Game System Since Tracking Began in 1995

Overview

Nintendo’s Switch 2 has finished its first year on the U.S. market with 5.9 million units sold, making it the second fastest-selling video game hardware in the country since industry tracking began, according to data from the market-research firm Circana. As reported by Nintendo Life, “In its first twelve months in this market, the Switch 2 has apparently sold 5.9 million units” — a figure VGChartz corroborates, noting that “Lifetime sales for the Switch 2 through 12 months are at 5.9 million units in the US.”

The milestone places the console behind only one predecessor in the era of modern sales tracking, while its two main competitors recorded their weakest May in more than twenty years.

What We Know

The data was published by Mat Piscatella, who Nintendo Life identifies as Circana’s “senior director and game industry advisor.” ComicBook reports that Piscatella “provided this data through a Bluesky thread analyzing May 2026 gaming market trends.”

Circana ranks the Switch 2 as the second fastest-selling system in U.S. tracked history. According to My Nintendo News, “Nintendo’s latest system has sold over 5.9 million units in the United States alone and is now the second fastest-selling video game system.” The only hardware to outpace it is the Game Boy Advance: per Nintendo Life, “Only the Game Boy Advance exceeded it, with 6.5 million units,” within a tracking window that began in 1995. ComicBook adds that the Game Boy Advance sold its 6.5 million units after launching in 2001.

The Switch 2 also led the most recent monthly chart. VGChartz reports that “The Nintendo Switch 2 was the best-selling console in the US for May 2026 in terms of units sold and dollar sales,” and Nintendo Life notes it was the “best-selling hardware platform in both units and dollars for May and 2026 year-to-date.”

On the software side, VGChartz reports that “007 First Light was the best-selling game in US in May 2026 and is already the fourth best-selling game of 2026.” ComicBook lists the month’s top new releases as 007 First Light, followed by Forza Horizon 6 and LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight.

The Competition’s Slump

Nintendo’s run contrasts sharply with its rivals. VGChartz reports that “The PlayStation 5 in terms of dollar sales is down 43 percent year-on-year, while unit sales are down 58 percent,” and that “PlayStation hardware units fell to the lowest for the month of May since May 2000.” For Microsoft’s console, the same source states that “For Xbox unit sales are the lowest ever for the month of May.”

Despite those declines, overall industry spending edged up. VGChartz reports that “Overall spending on video games in May increased three percent year-on-year from $4.08 billion to $4.18 billion,” and quotes Piscatella saying, “US video game spending reached $4.2 billion in May 2026, an increase of 3% when compared to a year ago.”

What We Don’t Know

Circana’s figures cover U.S. dollar and unit sales tracked since 1995; they do not capture the full global picture, and the cited reporting does not break out Switch 2 sales by region beyond the United States. The sources also do not detail how much of the rivals’ May weakness stems from sparse first-party release schedules versus broader market conditions, nor whether the Switch 2’s first-year pace will hold as its software lineup matures.